data protection officer
Data protection officers ensure that the processing of personal data in an organisation is compliant with data protection standards and with the obligations set out in the applicable legislation such as GDPR. They elaborate and implement the organisation policy related to data protection, are responsible for data protection impact assessments and handle complaints and requests from third parties and regulatory agencies. Data protection officers lead investigations into potential data breaches, conduct internal audits and act as point of contact within the organisation on any matters related to the processing of personal data. Data protection officers may develop training programmes and provide training to other employees on data protection procedures.
data protection officer data protection officers ensure that the processing of personal data in an organisation is compliant with data protection standards and with the obligations set out in the applicable legislation such as GDPR. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.55 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include internal risk management policy, information security strategy, ICT security standards, ICT security legislation, cyber security.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £35,507 a year for Legal professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2419). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
No official India pay figure is available for this career.
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Frequently asked questions
What does data protection officer do?
Data protection officers ensure that the processing of personal data in an organisation is compliant with data protection standards and with the obligations set out in the applicable legislation such as GDPR. They elaborate and implement the organisation policy related to data protection, are responsible for data protection impact assessments and handle complaints and requests from third parties and regulatory agencies.
What skills does data protection officer need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include internal risk management policy, information security strategy, ICT security standards, ICT security legislation, cyber security, internal auditing. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace data protection officer?
Our AI-durability model gives data protection officer a score of 0.55 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.